“Then came cold February, sitting
In an old waggon, for he could not ride,
Drawne of two fishes, for the season fitting,
Which through the flood before did softly slyde
And swim away; yet had he by his side…
His plough and harnesse fit to till the ground,
And tooles to prune the trees before the pride
Of hasting prime did make them burgeon round”

I usually party like a rock star for solstice (fire dancing, anyone?). But, since I’m fighting a pretty wicked migraine right now – and I can tell it’s only going to get worse – my partying will be pared down to baking.

Here’s one of my favorite solstice cookie recipes…. It’s sort of a lemony sugar cookie deal. I’m hoping to bring some in to share on Monday.

AND … I’m in the process of converting it to GF (my sister has a good flour mix).

Cream butter in a large non-metallic mixing bowl.
Gradually add the brown sugar, mixing well.
Add eggs, lemon juice, and rind, then mix well until mixture is well blended.
Cover the bowl with a white or yellow towel or cloth napkin, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, shape dough into 1″ balls and place 3″ apart on a greased cookie sheet.

1. Food and Drink (always good for a celebration!)

Plan a menu involving grains and dairy products. Enjoy a glass of ale (remember, one of Brigid’s specialties was brewing!). You might also want to try this recipe for milk punch or perhaps make the traditional Saint Brigid’s oat bread. Maybe not quite as traditional, but very tasty, here’s one of my favorite recipes for Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

2. Get Creative

Brigid’s Cross

Brigid is the patroness of poetry, so if she’s helped to light your fire of inspiration, why not try your hand at writing a poem? Or you may prefer to make a Brigid’s Cross. A woven cross that incorporates both Christian and pagan symbolism, these crosses are still widely used in Ireland today to protect the harvest and farm animals. Another popular craft of the season is the corn dolly. The dolls were traditionally dressed in white and adorned with ribbons and baubles like crystals, shells or stones. They were carried by young girls in a procession from house to house where gifts were bestowed upon the dollies.
Or…?? Anything creative, particularly involving weaving or textiles, would be suitable.

3. Let There Be Light

Fire and purification are important aspects of this festival. The lighting of candles represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the sun over the coming months. As such, one long held tradition is to turn off all of the lights in the house. Then, re-enter and—one by one—turn all the lights back on (perhaps lighting a few candles, as well) as a symbolic celebration of the changing seasons and the return of the light.

4. Celebrate (Your) Animals

Brigid had a way with animals; a white skinned red eared fairy cow is often associated with her. Traditionally, farm animals would be particularly well cared for on St. Brigid’s Day. If you don’t have farm animals, consider giving your pet a special treat on this day.

5. Plant Seeds

In preparation for Spring, plant some seeds outdoors if it’s warm enough, or start some indoors for transplanting later. Or force some bulbs. Good choices are paperwhite narcissus or amaryllis – the bright blooms and sweet scent will help the rest of the winter pass more quickly—and more pleasantly.

This is a time of rest. As the night is long and the days are short it becomes a time of self healing and rejuvenation. As mother Earth has tucked herself in, so should you. It is perfectly fine to allow yourself the time to heal and relax that is necessary.

This is also known as the Yule Moon, as it usually falls right before the Yule celebrations begin. Take time for reflection on the past year. Honour all that you have learned and mentally clear out what you no longer need. Enjoy the long night as it is a time of peace on Earth and a great time of personal healing.

Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza, it is a time of peace and love, to all mankind and to the creatures of the earth. Do not forget to put out food for our animal friends as food is getting scarce and all life is sacred, this becomes a good time to honour all life.

This is also the time of fellowship, when friends come together and new friends are made. When the prosperous help support those who struggle, there is no greater joy than the sharing of what you have with those who have not.

In the native belief, the time of the moon covered from one month to the next, so it was not just one day, it was the cycle of the moon. So there was always plenty of time to do what needed to be done in that time. So do not think that you only have one day to honour, celebrate, meditate and rest. Spend the whole month doing so. Allow yourself the time to rest and repair. But also allow yourself time to celebrate and share.

There are no set rules to honour this time of year, there are many customs and beliefs, but you should do what your heart feels is right. Your guides can help you or you can follow the tradition of your choice. In my home we honour all, I will set up for Yule, we will have a tree, I will light the candles of the menorah, I believe all holidays have a valid point or they would not exist. Besides it is fun to study others beliefs, helps me to be more understanding, then any judgment or fear of someone else’s beliefs fade away and I continue to grow. So on that note, I shall bid you adieu, from this moon ’til the next, many blessings to you and yours.

Tonight is a Full Moon it is called the Cold Moon or the Before Yule Moon.
This is an especially special Full Moon because it is the last one of this year. It is a time to use the Moonlight to charge our energies ready for coming Yule and the New Year.
This particular Full Moon will not be boring and will have an unpredictable vibe along with it. What was stuck may suddenly begin to move or shift. If emotions are clogged, they may surface and flow.
Allow this.
Be with it as loving as possible with your self and others.
The potential of the Full Moon in Gemini is to become aware of where you are engaging in dualistic thought, emotions and behaviors on auto-pilot. This may be generating a lot of mental stress and tension plus sending out mixed signals to others and the Universe. Some people may be irritable and cranky.
Emotions can be raw and urgent.
Breathe deeply.
Ground yourself.
Keep a sense of humor.
Be of good cheer.
Be the calm in the storm.
Get in the driver seat and empower yourself.
Be honest with yourself.
Stop arguing for your limitations.
Take responsibility for your life. In this way, you can change what is not working. You are the master of your destiny.
Take your power back from society and/or other people.
Learn from your mistakes.
Vow to do better next year.
Make a commitment to your success.
Be adaptable.
Make friends with change. It is not the enemy. Change is your friend. Change sheds the old and gives birth to the new.
With Yule and New year approaching look deep into yourself and ask what you want to happen in the coming year, ask yourself how you will bring it about. Make this the year that you make all your dreams come true. The energy from this Full Moon wants you to succeed. Tell the Moon your hopes and dreams write them down on paper and burn them by a white candle. As the smoke drifts to the heavens the universe will receive your message. Have a blessed Full Moon.
May the Goddess watch over you.

There’s that brief moment, when you turn on a television, that you feel and hear the electricity snap to life. Or when you’re in an older house and the hair on the back of your neck stands on end when you flip a light switch or start the dryer. You can feel it in your stomach, and you can hear that high-pitched whine deep in your head.

That’s how I feel when I am around people.

Everyone has this – hum. It’s a bit like a vibration.
Well…. it’s like when you can hear a vibration (kinda like when your cell phone goes off).
It’s a little like how I imagine mediums see auras; it’s just there.

I don’t really recall when I first noticed it, or when I finally realized what it was. It just clicked one day that other people, especially the toxic kind of people, were affecting me more than I thought was necessary.

I’m a bit of an empath.
Happy people make me very happy.
Being around angry people sometimes makes me violently ill.
Sadness can easily throw me into depressive episodes.

I’ve learned to read, for lack of a better term, the hum. It helps me avoid certain people in order to keep myself balanced.

It’s a lot like music; it can make you feel very intense emotions.

So this hum is a song. Everyone has their own song, and it stays the same for each individual, but the intensity, the dynamic of the song changes based on current mood.

The hum hits me square in the chest.
An angry hum feels like I’ve been kicked.
A sad hum pulls me out of myself, like I’m drifting into fog.
A happy hum feels a bit like a hug. It’s warm and calm.

I get overwhelmed at events, sometimes, because there is so much chaos. I get a ringing in my ears from the ceaseless echo of voices. It takes a hell of a lot of concentration to not panic. I will generally gravitate toward one or two people and focus on them.

I can feel my own hum all the time. And when my hum harmonizes with someone else’s, it’s a great feeling. It’s like I have my own little orchestra playing.

My friends all have this in common – their hum plays nicely with my own. Sometimes, their hums match up with the others’, too. That is usually when I am most contented. There are some friends, though, that (while I love them dearly) I cannot have around each other. It breaks my heart, but it’s for my own good. It’s not even that said friends cannot be around each other. It’s just that the vibration is so mis-matched that it gives me a headache.

My birthday is coming up, so I have decided to get a new tattoo in celebration.

It’s not a major birthday, but I haven’t gotten myself anything in years, and it’s been several since my last one. I think it’s about time.

I have a few ideas roaming around in my brain (in no particular order):

Harley Quinn diamonds. A set of three in black and red on my upper arm or thigh.
An Irish Barn Owl. Mom’s favorite animal is the owl, and I would like to have a stylized (Celtic) owl on one of my arms.
A rose and a shamrock, one for each grandmother.
Tetris pieces, falling down my leg. Tetris is my second all-time favorite video game following The Legend of Zelda (I already have 2 Zelda pieces on my leg).
Kitty paw prints, one for each of my girls.
Brigid’s Cross
Generic silhouette of a black cat. Cats are my favorite animal, and I consider them my guides.
What do you think?
What should I get?
Hrm?

Sprinkle yeast over water in a large warm bowl (I still use the good old Pyrex yellow); stir till dissolved. Add oleo, sugar, salt, thyme, and half of the flour. Beat on medium mixer speed 2 minutes or 150 strokes by hand; scrape bowl often. Beat in rest of the flour with a spoon till smooth. Scrape down sides. Cover; let rise till double, about 1 hour. Beat down with 25 strokes. Turn into greased bread tin or 1 1/2-qt casserole. Bake l hr 10 min at 175°C. Brush top of hot loaf with melted oleo (I just rub a stick over it).

In a mixing bowl on medium speed, cream butter until light.
On low speed, mix in honey and beaten egg.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add this dry mixture, alternating with some of the buttermilk, into the first bowl.
Blend everything together thoroughly then pour into a 9×13 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
When done, allow cake to cool completely.

Cut the nectarines and cherries in half and remove the pits. Cut any leaves and stalks off the strawberries, and wash all fruit thoroughly. Push through a juicer, then top with sparkling water or lemonade, and pour into a jug. Add a few ice cubes, the lemon balm leaves, and extra fresh fruits.

I sat on the dock, feet dangling in the water, a warm breeze blowing gently over the lake; it felt like fingers running through my hair.

I could hear the water lapping against the dock and the shoreline, rhythmically sliding over the rocks. Birds chirped quietly and the crickets were just starting to hum.
I recall thinking, briefly, that there weren’t any mosquitoes biting at me.

And the trees… oh, the trees. They danced on the breeze – especially the big willow in front of the new cabin, its branches swaying back and forth, almost touching the grass.

Strange, though, that no one else seemed to be out enjoying this beautiful day.
Usually, there are fishermen out in their boats, children playing in the sand, families out swimming. It was remarkably peaceful.

I was totally at ease when I heard footsteps on the dock behind me and felt the dock rock a bit.
I really didn’t expect anyone else to be there.

We sat there, together. Our shoes tossed up on the grass and jeans rolled up to our knees. We shared a drink… Jameson & ginger ale. It was really, really refreshing in the warm air.

No words had been exchanged, just a shared glass and occasional splash.

As the sun started to drop, the terra cotta sky reflected on the lake. It was like an impressionist painting.
The crickets were really going at it, I thought.
But then I realized that it wasn’t normal chatter. It was harmonious. It was lyrical.
They were playing for me.

I stood up and walked toward the cabin, and once my feet touched the grass, the music became louder, clearer. They wanted me to dance.

I found a flat section of the yard and took my position.
There was no choreography, no defined movements, just me, dancing with the birds and bugs and trees.
The willow tree swayed with me, caressed me as I twirled around it.